Cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Nana Patekar, Jackie Shroff, Dino Morea, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Chitrangada Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Soundarya Sharma, Chunky Pandey, Nikitin Dheer, Johnny Lever
Crew:
Written by Farhad Samji, Tarun Mansukhani, Sajid Nadiadwala
Music by Yo Yo Honey Singh, White Noise Collectives, Tanishk Bagchi, Kratex, Julius Packiam
Editing by Rameshwar S. Bhagat
Cinematography by V. Manikandan
Directed by Tarun Mansukhani
Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Warda Nadiadwala, Firuzi Khan
Housefull franchise has been one of the most consistent entertainers for Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh. With different directors and actors, they could gel within and deliver box office hits. While the quality of films has been on a decline from the first to till date, still, they are people who would walking into a theatre to watch Housefull film. So, let's discuss about Housefull 5 released in A and B versions, with two climaxes, in detail.
Plot:
Papa Ranjeet (Ranjith) leaves a will that he has a son named Jolly and his property should be given to him. The next-in-line heir and Board Member Dev (Fardeen Khan) sends out detectives to find Jolly and bring him to the luxury boat. Jalabuddin (Riteish Deshmukh) walks in with Zara (Sonam Bajwa) and claims to be Jolly. Jalbhushan (Abhishek Bachchan) walks in as Jolly 2 with Sasikala (Jacqueline Fernandez) as his wife. Finally, Julius (Akshay Kumar) walks in as Jolly 3 with his wife Kaanchi (Nargis Dutt). Confused Dev orders a DNA test of all three. But the doctor gets murdered.
Close relatives and board members Bedi (Dino Morea), Shiraz (Shreyas Talpade) and Maya (Chitrangada Singh) along with Lawyer Lucy (Soundarya Sharma) fall under suspicion. Cook Aakhri Pasta (Chunky Panday) and security officer Batuk Patel (Jonny Lever) are always fighting while Captain Sameer (Nikitin Dheer) looks suspicious. But all three Jollys interchange their wives and are connected with doctor's murder. To investigate who is the killer police officers Baba (Jackie Shroff) and Bhiddu (Sanjay Dutt) arrive on the ship while their head officer Dhagdu (Nana Patekar)
Analysis:
The makers have always tried to fill up the Housefull franchise films with huge ensemble casts bringing in different stars under one roof. But the main plot has been thick in first two while next two just tried to go bizarre with comic gimmicks. In 5th installment, they have brought in Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Fardeen Khan, Dino Morea, Chitrangada Singh but none of them have any character to really talk about.
Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Akshay Kumar everyone tried to do over action with the written material but nothing really lands. Each comical punch tries to go excruciatingly below the belt and then even more weird and bizarre just for the sake of it. In every punchline, established joke, you can see how each one tried hard to make it feel comical. Below the belt jokes does bring some chuckles but none of them have any substantial set up or pay off.
It feels like makers are exhausted off any new ideas to bring in something fresh to this franchise or ensemble comedy. Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff have been given such loose material that we get annoyed rather than excited by their presence. Even more problematic are the characters written to ladies. Each one is asked to show off their skin even more even in unnecessary scenes. Its like they have been hired to showcase something - if not acting skills, then some skin at least.
Housefull as a franchise itself always boasted off being over-the-top and silly with weird jokes but never it tried to be clever. Still, the punchlines need set up, the hilarious stretches need structure and the unique fun line or reaction or expression needs the character to be established in similar fashion. Housefull till 3 did try to imbibe some sort of structure but now, they seem to be throwing stones at low hanging fruits and failing at even that too.
A clever and in-form director might have been able to use Knives Out kind of a premise better with silliness being limited to one or two characters or some sort of emotion being induced in some characters. Even sans emotion, the laughter riot would have worked had the makers did not seem desperate asking "laugh ... laugh" rather than genuinely evoking such a reaction with their silly and clever antics. Doesn't have even one redeeming quality rather than being a random assemble of ensemble cast, old jokes, rehashes and predictable ones at that.
Bottomline:
Housefull 5 tries too hard that you feel sympathy for all the ensemble cast who are there are a paycheck than you care for the characters or the story or even the non-existent comedy.
Rating: 2/5
Disclaimer: The views/opinions expressed in this review are personal views/opinions shared by the writer and organisation does not hold a liability to them. Viewers' doiscretion is advised.